This Week in Weird, June 26

Man pulls Jesus stunt, skeleton found at school, man advertises pot sales on Craigslist and more in this week’s edition.

'Jesus' causes a stir with whipping stunt

BROCKTON, Mass. -- A man who once filmed himself walking around downtown Brockton in a child’s cowboy hat and a fake mustache as “The Sheriff of Brockton” was seen again Tuesday afternoon dressed like Jesus being whipped by friends.

John J.F. Mercauto, 37, is an electrician by day but calls his alter egos part of his hobby as a “fast-food comedian,” telling jokes in fast-food restaurants and posting his “street theater” stunts on the Internet.

“I like to challenge people’s daily perceptions of reality,” Mercauto said by phone from his home. “I like to see people’s worlds disturbed.”

Disturbed is one word that may have described bystanders watching when Mercauto, wearing a ring of thorns, was hit by two men with leather belts while a third man filmed about 2 p.m.

The afternoon spectacle stunned nearby pedestrians. Dee Jones said she found the whipping display offensive in a neighborhood with a large black population.

“I thought it was a racist statement,” she said. “It was like the devil’s work.”

Mercauto said he meant no harm or racial overtones by the act — only “a reaction and a change in the obvious perception.”

No one was arrested in Tuesday’s incident. Police broke up the stunt and sent the men on their way, said officer David Farrell.

“It was a YouTube stunt,” he said. “They wanted to be Internet stars.”

Skeleton from 1800s found at high school

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- An intact skeleton that could date to the 1800s was found by a contractor digging a small trench at New Hartford High School on Monday night, New Hartford police chief Raymond Philo said.

Forensic experts are currently exhuming the skeleton, after which it will be taken to a Utica College lab and tested.

Philo said the tests could reveal a lot of information on the skeleton, such as the race of the person and the possible cause of death. Arrangements will then be made for a burial elsewhere.

The high school was built on top of a former cemetery, where bodies were buried throughout most of the 19th century. When the high school was built, there 277 graves were exhumed, but during that period it was common for poor people to be buried in a cemetery unaccounted for, Philo said.

Quincy police arrested a man advertising his wares with the words “420 help is here” on the online classified site Craigslist. Drug detectives knew that in the cannabis culture, 420 means getting high on marijuana.

The Craigslist item said “Give me a ring if you need some help,” and listed a phone number, which a detective called Friday.

He told the man who answered, later identified as Christopher J. Gray, 30, of Marlboro, that he wanted to buy a quarter-ounce of marijuana. A meeting was set up for later that day in a parking lot.

Gray was cautious when he met two detectives posing as customers, and asked if they were cops, police Capt. John Dougan said. Apparently satisfied when the officers said they were not, Gray allegedly said: “Well, I trust you. You look normal,” and sold them a small bag of marijuana for $45.

Gray pleaded innocent at his Quincy District Court arraignment Monday to marijuana distribution and marijuana possession charges. He was told to return to court July 8.

A crime most fowl

FARMINGTON, N.Y. -- Investigators are investigating a kidnapping with an unusual victim — a bare-eyed cockatoo.

Ontario County Sheriff’s Investigator Chris Drake said the bird, valued at about $1,300, has been stolen from the Country Max store in Farmington.

“It certainly hurts for us to lose a product worth that much money, but the health of the bird is the main thing we’re concerned about,” said Randy Waite, district manager for Country Max.

Waite said staff have no idea who could have taken the bird or how they did it.

Exotic birds are frequently let out of their cages in the aviary section of the pet and farm supply store so they can get exercise, he said. It is possible that the thief took the bird and left through an emergency exit near the aviary or walked out the front door, Waite said.

Man who has been arraigned more than 100 times arrested again

MIDDLEBORO, Mass. -- A Taunton, Mass., man who has been arraigned more than 100 times is back in jail after a short-lived stint on probation.

Derek M. Lindsay, 36, was arrested by state police on a Middleboro warrant.

According to the police report, Lindsay threatened and spit in the face of a young woman who was walking in downtown Middleboro on June 4.

Sgt. Robert Ferreira saw Lindsay threatening the woman and called for backup. Lindsay taunted Ferreira, saying there was no cell coverage at that location, but he was mistaken and police were on their way, according to a police report. Ferreira reported Lindsay fled down a side street.

Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Bridget Norton Middleton could not be reached for comment on the most recent charges.

Lindsay was arraigned for the 142nd time in March, after he was accused of stabbing a man in a downtown tattoo parlor on March 17.

Lindsay has faced a variety of charges over the years, including attempted murder, assault and battery, drug offenses, weapons violations, threats and disorderly conduct, court records indicate.

Lindsay made national news in May 2007 after squaring off with other parents, and later police, at a McDonald’s playground in Taunton, after he urged his child to push other kids out of the way to get closer to Ronald McDonald and Shrek clowns making balloon animals.

High school to withold diplomas until students pay lunch bills

UTICA, N.Y. -- The diplomas of 10 graduating seniors at Thomas R. Proctor High School will be held until they pay back borrowed lunch money.

Letters were sent home to the families of those seniors earlier this week notifying the parents of the balances owed — between less then a dollar and almost $7, according to the Utica district Food Services Director William LaRock.

“Most of the balances are very small,” LaRock said.

Principal Steve Falchi said the seniors will be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies, but they will not receive their diplomas until the balances are paid. Diplomas at the school are typically mailed to graduates a couple of weeks after graduation.

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